


Birds Go Flying At The Speed Of Sound

by All_Of_The_Muses, SatireStoat



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Feels, Female OC is Eddie's younger sister, Harribard being creepy, Other Female OC is Caitlin's younger sister, Rated M for future content, Romance, Sibling arguements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2019-10-11 00:42:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17436584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_Of_The_Muses/pseuds/All_Of_The_Muses, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatireStoat/pseuds/SatireStoat
Summary: Nicole Thawne is a dedicated to her research with her boyfriend, Cisco Ramon at S.T.A.R. Labs under the watchful eye of their mentor and idol, Harrison Wells. When Caitlin's sister, Annaleigh, comes to visit for the biggest event in S.T.A.R. Labs' and scientific history, the excitement fills the air. Then... Everything went wrong...





	1. Chapter 1

“You know, I will never get used to this.” A young woman said more to herself than anything walking into the infamous S.T.A.R. Labs. She pulled out her phone make sure she was in the right place having sent her sister a text not ten minutes ago explaining she was in the city. As usual, she continued walking forward not looking up from the screen.

“What’s to get used to? It’s just a lab.” Caitlin chuckled coming up behind her sister. “By the way, you’re heading the wrong way.”

“Caitlin, be nice.” Ronnie chuckled shaking his head. “She’s your sister after all.”

“Cait!” The woman spun on her heel, easy to do in the ballet flats she was wearing, and ran over to the couple. She embraced the woman first, clearly the sister of each other. “Hi Ronnie. It’s so good to see you both.”

Caitlin wasted no time in returning the hug, perhaps hugging the younger a bit too tight in return. A laugh escaped her lips and she stepped back.

“Look at you! All professional and stuff.” Caitlin said looking Anna over.

“Good to see you too Anna. You look good.” Ronnie chuckled walking over and giving her a much gentler hug.

“Hey no, no picking on my suit. I still don’t understand how you wear heels and a dress working in the place.” Anna said giving Ronnie a hug and a kiss to his cheek, a common greeting from Anna. She even did it to many of her coworkers in the past and the sisters had talked at length about Ronnie. He was nice and perfect for Caitlin, but so not Anna’s type. “Next time, text me where the spare key is would you?”

“Spare key?” Ronnie paused before letting out a groan. “I knew I forgot something this morning…”

“Oh god! I forgot that you were coming to stay!” Caitlin cried out in despair folding her hands over her face. Anna laughed and shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. I found it. Over the door frame is a bad hiding place just so you two know.” Ana said recalling that she had to literally stack, and then stand on her suitcases just to get the damn thing. “Well now that I am here... Can I please get that tour you promised me when you started working here?”

“Right! Ronnie, you free to join us or…” Caitlin looked up at her fiance for a moment before noticing the look in his eyes.

“I have to go check the relays. You two have fun though, alright?” Ronnie said picking up his tablet before giving Anna another hug. “I’ll see you at home. And I promise, I’m making my specialty.”

“He means he’s ordering pizza.” Caitlin teased.

“Good. There better not be pineapple on it Ronald!” Anna called back linking her arm with Caitlin’s.

“Got it. Extra pineapple for Anna!” He called back before leaving to tend to his job. Caitlin just laughed before leading her through the halls.

“You couldn’t have come at a better time. I just finished my calculations and we’re in the final stages of preparing the Particle Accelerator to launch.” She explained leading Anna down the hall towards the main hub. “Dr. Wells has been working day and night to make sure everything is perfect.”

“If I didn’t know any better I would think you were half in very deep intellectual amour over this Dr. Wells.” Anna sniggered waiting for the inevitable smack she was about to get.

“I-I… Ahem… I admire his intelligence and I respect him as my boss.” Caitlin stated, trying to appear unphased by her sister’s comments. “So, this is the Hub. This is where all the magic happens. Here is where all of our scientists and physicists conduct most of our work.”

“Wow.” Anna watched people rushing back and forth each chatting to themselves or having heated discussions from across the way. Anna huddled closer to Caitlin to avoid being run over by others. “And I though Queen Con. was an active building. This is... this is amazing Cait.”

“So… How is Oliver Queen?” Caitlin asked with a rather awkward attempt at being casual. “I hear Queen Con. has a lot in the works.”

“Traumatized as to be expected. He spent five years in isolation on an island. He is lucky he hasn’t contracted any type of disease.” Anna said patting Cailin’s arm. “You know I can’t share what I’m working on. Nice try.”

“Well, I thought it was worth a shot.” Caitlin chuckled leading her further into the hub. “You guys are so secretive, it’s a bit odd compared to Dr. Wells being so open about everything.”

“If you keep messing with my stuff I’m going to start electrocuting you!” Cisco called out chasing a woman from on part of the lab. “If you borrow something put it back!”

“I did put it back. You just need to start cleaning your desk.” A blonde woman said, marking something down on her tablet before looking over her shoulder while keeping stride around the desk. “Seriously, how many files do you even need? We have computers for a reason!”

“Oh no…” Caitlin groaned.

“I’m a mechanical engineer! I need to be able to erase mistakes!” Cisco retorted throwing up his hands.

“Yes, but as an engineer I would think you’d like to know where things are.” She snapped back pinching the bridge of her nose. “If you’re looking for your tool kit--”

“I have a system. One YOU keep messing with! Which if you don-”

“Enough.”

“Nahh!” Anna all but jumped into Caitlin’s arms hearing the deep yet somehow mildly amused voice come from behind them.

“Mr. Ramon, Dr. Thawne.”

“Dr. Wells. Sorry for interrupting you sir.” Nicole Thawne said, her cheeks taking on a pink tint as she held her tablet to her chest. “Mr. Ramon and I… Well… We were just discussing workplace… differences…”

“I heard.” Wells tried to keep a calm expression. But four years of this fight had made it hard for him not to be amused.

“That’s your boss?” Anna barely whispered into Caitlin’s ear glancing over her shoulder and moving to stand on the other side of her sister.

“Yup. That’s Dr. Harrison Wells.” Caitlin said, completely unbothered by the scene. “And you remember Cisco. The woman is Dr. Nicole Thawne.”

“Sorry sir. Um… T-Those calculations are ready for your review.” Nicole said, ignoring the look Cisco was all but glaring into her skull.

“Send them to me. I’ll look them over in my office.” Harrison said sliding his hands into his pockets. Anna snerked into her hand seeing something very familiar to her in Nicole. Felicity often looked at Oliver in the same manner, though the man was emotionally oblivious to it.

“Yes sir. I’ll have those to you right away.” Nicole said before turning to head back to her desk. Cisco made a choking motion before rolling his eyes and coming over to give Anna a quick hug before running back to his work space.

“Nice ta see you again.” Cisco called over his shoulder.

“Dr. Wells. I’d like you to meet my sister. Anna Snow. She works with Queen Consolidated.” Caitlin said smiling at the dark haired man. Anna subtly pinched her sister’s back giving Harrison a smile.

“So, this is the young woman I’ve been hearing so much about. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” Harrison said walking over and holding a hand out to Anna.

“The pleasure is mine Dr. Wells.” Anna said giving him a firm handshake. “Currently I am just here to share in my sister’s and your moment of triumph. I hope you don’t mind my being here. I promise I am not looking to steal any company secrets.”

“Not at all. Besides, I’m sure if Mr. Queen were going to steal my secrets he wouldn’t make it so obvious.” Wells commented tucking his hands back in his pockets. “I apologize that you had to see that moment…”

“Anna has been following the press releases and interviews ever since we announced the accelerator.” Caitlin said, smiling at her younger sister. After all, it was her duty as and older sister to tease the girl when she got the chance.

“Mostly for what will come in Gene Therapy, and other medical advancements that could be made.” Anna said side eyeing her sister. “No need to apologize. That was a civil discussion comparatively.”

“Dr. Snow, perhaps you’d like to show your sister here the accelerator. I’ve got to check on some calculations before tomorrow.” Harrison said offering a nod before turning and retreating to his office. Caitlin stood there a moment before clapping her hands together and looking at Anna.

“He’s in a really good mood today.”

“Well yeah, the last 15 years of his life has been building to this point. You would be in a good mood too.” Anna said chuckling more to herself.

“Fair. Anyway, would you like to see the accelerator? She’s an incredible piece of work.” Caitlin said with a smile before turning to lead Anna out of the hub.

“Oh no. I have no interest getting inside a giant hula-hoop.” Anna said. She knew that everyone here was excited for this. That years upon years of long hard work was about to pay off. “As much as I would love to stay. I just traveled 600 miles. If you want me to be a functioning human being tonight I need to get some rest.”

“Alright. Well, here.” Caitlin reached into her pocket and undid one of the keys on her key chain. “Go ahead and head to my place. Guest room is good to go, and shower is all good. Make yourself at home, yes?”

“Cait, what makes you think I didn’t already let myself in, unpacked for the week, and ready to enjoy a glorious weekend while you and Ronnie go far far away from here on a well earned vacation?” Anna said more than asked taking her actual key back from her sister. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a tub, bubble soap, and an autobiography to read.”

“Been thinking about this a while then?” Caitlin asked raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve been looking forward to kicking you two out of the apartment for a year.” Anna said laughing and pulling Caitlin into a tight hug. “You sure your boss is okay with me coming tonight? Please tell me you didn’t forget to ask.”

“He’s alright with it. He actually came to me first about inviting you.” Caitlin said returning the hug before preparing to lead her to the exit. “I doubt he’d say it, but I think he’s secretly trying to gloat a bit.”

“You see. Now that just sounds creepy. I work for a rival company 600 miles away.” Anna said walking with her sister. “But what is done is done. Now I’m going to go die, and hopefully I won’t be fashionably late to the press conference and this thing being turned on.”

“It’s not the strangest thing he’s done.” Caitlin commented thinking back on some of the discussions she’d had with him. “Anyway, make yourself at home. Alright? I’ve got some more work to do before I head home.”

“Yeah, yeah, shoo off to work. I love you and I will see you when you come home to change.” Anna said waving over her shoulder. The one advantage to flats vs heels, Anna could walk faster than Caitlin even if she was the shorter of the sisters Snow.

“Alright, be safe and let me know when you get there!” Caitlin called out before watching her sister leave.

“Yes dad!” Anna called back leaving the building with a wave and her head stuck down looking at her phone.

* * *

“Eddie, I love. You’re my brother. They’re just some protesters.” Nicole said standing just inside the doors leading out of S.T.A.R. Labs with a sigh. “It’s not like they’re storming the gates. Why’re you really here?”

“Because I wanted to make sure that you were alright. I’m your brother, I’m allowed to know what you’re doing.” Eddie snapped putting his hands on his hips. “Just because you went off to college doesn’t make you the older sibling here. I had to work hard to make sure you had a good life. So forgive me if I am worried this death trap could go off.”

“I’m fine. We’ve upped our security…” Nicole said before pausing to look at her watch. “Damn it, I forgot I have to go home and change… You’re not gonna be on security tonight, are you? No offense, but I think I might have to kill you.”

“I can’t I’m on patrol tonight.” Eddie said trying really hard to remain calm. He loved Nicole he really did. But there were times he wanted to strangle her, this being one of them. “Just don’t stay later than you have to okay? The less time around these people you spend the better.”

“These people?” Nicole cocked a brow. “Do you mean my coworkers? Or the protesters? No offense, but you’ve had nothing but criticism ever since I started working here. I’m lucky to have been hired at such a prestigious lab so soon after moving to town.”

“Because ever since you started working here you treat me like I am some guy that you knew in high school Nicole!”

“Seriously!? This again!?” Nicole let out a cry of frustration before crossing her arms over her chest. “Eddie, I don’t treat you any different! You’re my brother! And a pain in my ass! But I do not treat you like you’re still in High School. I’m worried, because you’re always getting shot at, but I try to keep it under wraps!! Are you… Ugh… Is this about Dr. Wells?”

“You know what, I have to get back to work. If you decide to come home don’t expect me to be waiting for you.” Eddie shook his head turning around and starting back to the black and white car waiting for him.

“Damn it… Eddie…” Nicole started to follow him only to stop. She didn’t want to make things worse, hell, they’d just started talking to each other again. The last time she tried to correct what she’d said though, they hadn’t spoken for nearly three years. Not wanting to risk that again, she just sighed. “I’ll see you later.”

With a frustrated sigh, she turned and made her way to her office. As soon as she was there, Nicole dropped her tablet on the desk and let out a frustrated groan.

“God! I’m such an idiot!” She snapped smacking her hand into the surface of the desk before sighing. “Are you gonna just stand in the doorway and judge me for my anger issues?”

“If this is a bad time I can always schedule a meeting.” Harrison said leaning in the doorway.

“D-Dr. Wells.” Nicole was quick to straighten up, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. “Sorry. Um… My brother and I… You shouldn’t have had to see that… sorry…”

“Family is important.” Harrison tilted his head to the side. “I just wanted to tell you to go ahead with the adjustments. But if you’d like I can get someone else to do so.”

“N-No. I can… I can do them. Maybe work will take my mind off of the argument.” Nicole said picking her tablet up and doing her best to avoid eye contact with Harrison. “Is there anything that um… Showed up during the preliminary tests? I got a notification on my computer but I hadn’t had time to check on it.”

“Nothing that I haven’t already made proper adjustments for.” Harrison said standing up straight and adjusting his glasses. “I would suggest you try and make amends with your brother. I would hate to lose one of my brightest because there was a personal issue that clouded their judgement.”

“I can assure you Dr. Wells that this spat will not interfere with the work before we turn the accelerator on. I am just as invested in this as everyone else.” Nicole explained running a hand through her hair. “I have no intentions of letting my judgement get clouded, sir.”

“Good. Then once those equations are set we can prepare the final stage.” Harrison stepped backwards out of the doorway and turning from Nicole. “And Dr. Thawne, Try to talk to him.”

“I will sir. After t-the accelerator succeeds.” Nicole said taking her tablet and heading out of her office. “Is… Is there anything else you need help with? Um… I was uh… Thinking of running to Jitter’s before um… Before the big event. Want me to pick anything up maybe?”

“I am alright Dr. Thawne, but thank you.” Harrison said glancing at his watch. “You might want to hurry. It is supposed to rain.”

“Right. I’ll set those calculations before I uh… I head home to change.” Nicole said with a nod before heading to set to work. “I’ll talk to him sir, I promise.”

“Good. I expect to see you within the hour.” Harrison nodded to her before turning and walking down the corridor.

“Sir.” Nicole nodded at him before putting a bit more pep in her step. She had to get the calculations to Cisco before she left to change out of her Periodic Table shirt and her black slacks. She preferred being comfortable when running back and forth doing adjustments, calculations and the likes, though she couldn’t help but feel out of place sometimes when she saw other female scientists dressing in pant suits or dresses.

“Cisco, I got a new set of calculations Dr. Wells wants to get these calculations put in before we turn this bad boy on.” Nicole called out, holding her tablet and a black case out to him. “Also, your tool kit was under your binder with the calculus in it, and the notebooks with your fan theories in them. By the way, your Buffy theories… Quite an interesting read.”

“Oh see now that is cheating.” Cisco said rolling his chair over to take the tablet from her. “But I forgive you for snooping.... You’ve got to be kidding me. This is going to take hours!”

Cisco set the tablet down running his hands through his hair. Of course these would be the ‘last things’ but it wasn’t Nicole’s fault. She tried her best and sometimes it was just the fact that none of the people working in the building ever slept.

“Alright. Look I love you, I really do. But I have to go.” Cisco said gathering the tablet and pulling Nicole into a quick kiss before running off to go find Ronnie.

“Love you too.” Nicole muttered looking at the tablet. “Hey! If you could, pick me up a change of clothes!”

“Not today! You go!” Cisco shouted disappearing from view.

“I love that man… Love him to death…” Nicole muttered looking at her watch. “I suppose I could do these and skip dinner. I mean… Ugh, crunch time is the worst.”

“Nicole. Cisco said he had it. Please get going.” Caitlin said walking by having heard the entire conversation. The two had never really been the ‘Quiet type’ of fighters.

“I… Knew that…” Nicole sighed shaking her head. Looking down at her hands, she realized he had in fact grabbed the tablet, so he wasn’t entirely angry with her. “Sorry. I guess the stress of everything is finally getting to us. I’m gonna get going. I’ll see you in about an hour, yeah?”

“Yes. Just remember this is it. Everything is only going to get better from here.” Caitlin said walking back out with a smile.

“Yup. Finally the stress, and the being cooped up with each other for far too long will all be worth it.” Nicole called out pulling her keys from her pocket and fleeing before she could be grabbed by somebody else who needed help. “Nothing but home runs today…” 


	2. Chapter 2

“Well, well, well. Don’t you look incredible?” Caitlin commented, smiling as she looked at what her sister was wearing. “I think Starling City is rubbing off on you.”

“Hey I thought I would try and make myself look decent for your big night.” Anna said tugging at the sleeves of her black dress. She still kept her flats on instead of heels mostly because she was more comfortable in them.

“You look nice.” Caitlin said with a smile before walking over. “I was gonna wait until Christmas to give this to you, but since it seems Christmas came early, here.”

She produced a small box with a white bow on it. Inside was a silver snowflake necklace with blue and white gems in it. Caitlin smiled as she held the box out, beaming with excitement.

“Oh Cait-Kat...” Anna looked between the box and her sister before pulling the woman into a very tight hug. “You didn’t have to.”

“I didn’t have to do anything.” Caitlin said holding her close with a smile. “I wanted to though. I don’t get to see you very often, I wanted to spoil you for a change.”

“Ladies, can I just say you both look stunning?” Ronnie commented, smiling at his fiancee and future sister in law.

“You’re already going to marry her, no need to try and get my approval.” Anna said turning around and moving her hair out of the way so Caitlin could put the necklace on.

“I was just being honest.” Ronnie chuckled watching as Caitlin put the necklace on.

“Ronnie, could you grab my purse?” Caitlin asked, closing the clasp on the necklace before fixing her hair. “Who’d have thought a few years ago you’d be working for Oliver Queen and I’d be working for Harrison Wells…”

“Not mother that’s for sure.” Annaleigh said turning around. She put her hand on Caitlin’s shoulder and looked her in the eye. “I am so proud of you Caitlin. And I know dad would have been too. You grew up to be such a smart woman, found a man that has more brains than nuts and bolts.”

“Dad would’ve been proud of you too.” Caitlin placed her own hands on Anna’s shoulders with a fond smile. “You may not have found your one yet, but you not only went to school, but also became an employee for one of the world’s most influential companies. You’ve done well for yourself, Anna.”

“Yeah I don’t know about that.” Anna said with a laugh. She pulled out from under Caitlin’s hands to grab a long trench coat from the guest closet. “Come on kids, can’t afford you two to be late. I think that Dr. Wells would be pretty mad at me.”

“Yeah, and I don’t want to get that look again.” Ronnie agreed handing Caitlin her purse. “I’ll drive.”

“Thanks Ronnie.” Caitlin kissed his cheek before grabbing her own jacket out of the hall closet.

“Yeah, thanks Ronnie.” Anna said also giving him a kiss as she and Caitlin linked arms and left the apartment.

“Anytime. There’s gonna be champagne. I want you two to enjoy yourselves.” Ronnie said pulling his keys out before leading them to his car. It was going to be a big night, and he wouldn’t want the Snows to miss it for the world.

* * *

“Cisco, I brought you a clean jacket.” Nicole called out. She had changed into a more business appropriate dress that was knee length, black satin with a white collar. Her hair had been tied up into a braided bun and her beat up tennis shoes had been replaced with a pair of two inch black heels. “Sorry about earlier, how does Chinese and a Whedon marathon sound to make it up, hm?”

She walked over to Cisco, a smile on her face and a Big Gulp in her right hand. She’d learned from their previous fights that typical apologies didn’t often solve things. When it was her fault, she’d found ways to extend the olive branch.

“If we could just turn this damn thing on that would be great!” Cisco muttered, pulling his head from his hands where he’d been trying to remove his hair. There was a lollipop hanging from the side of his mouth, minor cracks and spiderweb breaks along the candied surface.

“Hey, just breathe.” Nicole walked over, setting the soda down in front of him and laying the jacket down. Her right hand came up to cup his cheek and her smile grew a bit. “We’ve worked so hard on this. You have worked hard to get to this point. We’re gonna flip that switch, and you Cisco Ramon will go down in history as one of the greatest engineers in history, alright?”

“What would I do without you?” Cisco asked knowing that she was right. He pressed a kiss to her palm before standing up and trying to comb the tangles from his hair. “Hey I thought I lost that jacket. At least I am wearing the matching pants.”

“You left it in the living room.” She chuckled running her fingers through his hair to lend a hand to the attempts at taming his mane. “It was under the Death Star blanket.”

“No wonder I couldn’t find it.” Cisco said fixing the half-assed tie job he had going on. The hoodie plus the dark blue tie, light blue button up, and the dark jeans all made it look that he was at least pretending to be professional.

“Here.” Nicole held up the coat for him and her empty hand for the hoodie. “We wouldn’t want you looking like an intern in the photos, right? Not that I’m complaining…”

“I’m wearing the hoodie under the coat. But the second photo ops are done that thing s coming off.” Cisco said taking the hoodie and pulling it on first before taking the brown jacket that was part of one of his older ‘looking for a job’ outfits as he called them.

“Well, at least you’re not in a dress.” Nicole teased with a laugh before brushing a bit of lint off his collar. “I gotta say, Mr. Ramon, you clean up nicely.”

“Yeah well come on Princess Buttercup. Your people await.” Cisco said placing his hand on her back and leading her from their office.

“As you wish.” She teased as she walked alongside him, putting on her best publicity face. She didn’t like dealing with the press, but Cisco at least made it tolerable.

* * *

“So just so I don’t make an idiot of myself you, Ronnie, Thane-”

“Thawne.”

“Right, and Cisco are going to be on stage. And I’ll just wait for you all inside?” Anna asked just making sure she knew what was going on. S.T.A.R. Labs was vastly different from Queen Con.. Most of the time it was just Moira and her husband making the press conferences and she was lucky if she was counted among ‘the scientists’ during those.

“Yup. You can either watch the talk or you can wait in the Cortex. It’s up to you.” Caitlin said making one last check to make sure her hair was alright. Ronnie just chuckled, kissing his fiancee before looking over at Anna.

“You’ll be fine. Just sit back and enjoy the show.” He said placing a gentle hand on Anna’s shoulder.

“I’m still not all that comfortable walking into a rival companies labs like I work here, Ronnie.” Anna said laughing a bit.

“Anna, tonight you’re not here for Queen Con..” Ronnie explained shaking his head. “You’re here as Caitlin’s sister, and our friend for support. Dr. Wells knows that, everyone knows that.”

“Well alright. Cait stop fussing you look beautiful. Now I’m going to go stand over here. And you two go. Shoo, this is your night.” Anna said walking backwards a bit to joining the “front row” as it were. Finding a little nook between press crews. Caitlin smiled at her sister before taking Ronnie’s arm and joining their coworkers onstage. Nicole was standing just to Cisco’s right, her hands folded in front of her. Dr. Wells wore a freshly pressed suit, and a smile that bore the same affection one often wore when their child achieved their goals.

“Welcome everyone. I hope you’re all here for the accelerator, and not just the over priced bar.” He said with an attempt at a joke. The crowd surged forward trying to get as close as they could. Cameras flashed snapping shots of everything they could. Anna couldn’t help the small chuckle that she tried to hide under her breath. Though from the glare from she got, it wasn’t as quite soft as it was intended.

“My names is Harrison Wells. Tonight, the future begins. The work my team and I will do here will change our understanding of physics. Will bring about advancements in power, advancements in medicine, and trust me. That future will be here faster than you can think.” Wells said looking out at the crowd. “My late wife and I… We had a dream. A dream of the future. I am proud to be standing here today, making our dream a reality with the genius my team has put forth. Everyone standing up here has worked tirelessly to make sure that when we flick that ON switch, the world will change for the better.”

“I think we’re in the clear.” Nicole said under her breath as Harrison stepped away from the podium.

“Thank God, I can’t stand this jacket.” Cisco muttered turning and leading Nicole into the Lab.

“Hey, you look handsome though.” She chuckled walking alongside him. Caitlin waited until Wells had left before stepping off the small stage and approaching Anna.

“It’s almost time!” She exclaimed with sheer excitement.

“Yes. And I will be happy to be inside. It is getting colder than I though and I am now regretting wearing a dress.” Anna said with a laugh. “Lead the way Cait-Cat.”

“It’ll be warm in the Cortex. C’mon.” Caitlin took her arm and all but skipped to the Cortex with Ronnie in tow chuckling at his fiancee’s antics.

* * *

There was some last minute preparations that need to be done, just general information gathering at this point. And so once again Anna was left to her own devices as Caitlin, Cisco, and Ronnie all manned their stations. She didn’t know where Dr. Thawne or Wells had run off too, nor did she feel like getting yelled at by the other scientists in the room and so she sat at one of the side consoles, doing her best to wait till they could finally celebrate. At least not until a sound came from her right that was successful at getting her attention.

“That doesn’t look good.” Anna muttered to herself hearing a commotion coming from down that hall. She was too busy looking at the weather report that had popped up on the screen in front of her. It was probably spending two years working with Felicity that had her turning in the seat to get a better look at the reading from the report. Curiosity always getting the better of Annaleigh.

“What doesn’t look good?” Ronnie asked looking over her shoulder. “You alright?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah I’m fine.”

“If it’s the noise, don’t worry about it. Cisco and Nicole will be done in a minute or two. They’ve been stressing nonstop the past few months.” Ronnie explained walking away to go stand next to Caitlin. As if on cue, the commotion ceased and everything had returned to it’s normal buzz of activity.

“Ronnei you think it is safe to-”

“Dr. Wells, we just got the latest weather report. A big thunderstorm is rolling in.” Nicole said, looking over from her tablet with a hint of concern in her voice. She’d long since ditched the high heels and was now wearing a pair of knee high converse that could best be described as Tardis Blue and well loved. She hadn’t had time to change from the dress though before things had to be set in motion.

“We're not launching a space shuttle. We'll be fine.” Dr. Wells said with a smile of confidence.

“Tahiti?” Ronnie walked beside his fiance, looking concerned at the mention of their honeymoon destination.

“I know it's a long flight, Ronnie, but we can binge watch Orange Is The New Black.” Caitlin said with a giggle. While Caitlin and Ronnie talked, Cisco strode over to his girlfriend and hugged her from behind.

“I know that look.”

“Before you say it, I’m not stressing.” Nicole said with a chuckle.

“Yes you are. I can see it in your eyes.” Cisco teased yanking the tablet out of her hands. Without missing a beat, he slid it onto the desk just as Nicole spun around in his arms with a mock pout on her lips.

“Am not. I’m just monitoring the readings.” She muttered defensively.

“Uh huh. Remember when we promised ourselves a real break after all this?” Cisco asked pulling her a bit closer. “If I remember right… You even bribed me before the press release, didn’t you?”

“Oh that is a low blow babe…”

“Chinese and Buffy, I think it was?” Cisco mused.

“How about I up the deal then?” Nicole wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him on the lips gently. “I’ll even throw in the theater style Twizzlers you love. Hm?”

“Ooh, you drive a tough bargain…” Cisco smirked as if he had to think on it.

“And… Maybe, if we have ti--”

“Get a room you two.” Ronnie teased as he walked past the desk with a brotherly grin. Nicole let out an embarrassed groan as Cisco muttered in Spanish frustratedly. Without saying anything further, Nicole just gave Cisco another kiss before turning to get back to work.

“Dr. Wells, the accelerator is primed and ready for particle injection.” Cisco said moving to stand at his station.

“Well, I feel I should say something profound like one small step for man, but all I can think of to say is, I feel like I've waited for this day for centuries.” Wells said, addressing his entire team as a proud father would address his children. “Without further ado…”

He blew on his fist like one blew on their dice for luck before pushing the button that was about to make everyone’s dreams a reality. There was a tense moment before a sigh of relief collectively escaped the lips of everyone present.

“That's it?” Cisco asked. “You'd think there'd be, like, a loud bang.”

“If there was a loud bang, we'd all be in big trouble.” Ronnie stated with a nod before looking to his future-sister-in-law with a chuckle. “Take it from the guy who helped build it.”

Anna stood from the computer, shaking her head with a fond smile. Ronnie always had a way of making everyone feel comfortable. It wasn’t that he had any form of aggression, or romantic feelings towards Anna. He just had taken to her like a sister, and he couldn’t help but show off a little bit from time to time.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we did it.” Dr. Wells said looking around with even more pride. Without hesitation, he took a champagne bottle from the desk and popped the cork, earning the cheers of those around him. Nicole smiled before placing a hand on Cisco’s shoulder, silently conveying how proud of him she was.

“Mai Tais it is.” Ronnie sighed in defeat though he smiled at Caitlin. “But first, victory dinner with you and Anna. My treat.”

“Oh no, I’m checking into a hotel this time.” Anna said leaning away from the happy couple. She had walked on them once and that was all it took to steer her away from the idea. As soon as the champagne was about to be poured, some of the liquid began hovering in mid air before splashing to the ground. Only a second later, a loud noise was heard and the lab shook beneath everyone’s feet.

“Was that…” Cisco tensed up. Nicole felt a lump in her throat and hurried to her console in hopes that Ronnie was wrong.

“A loud bang.” Ronnie said, dread painting his features.

“Something tells me that was not supposed to happen?” Anna said looking over at her soon to be brother-in-law. “Was it?”

“No, Miss Snow, it was not.” Harrison said looking concerned. “I fear celebration may be a bit premature…”

“Um, Anna, my… My tablet is on the… The table over there.” Caitlin said hurrying to one of the keyboards at the main console. Anna shuffled over, politely shoving a few of the other scientists out of the way. Picking it up she unlocked to having known, just wait the code was. Small things like that the sisters always had a supernatural connection about. At least that was the joke.

“This doesn’t make sense Cait. This is saying that... That can’t right.” Anna turned to face her older sister and the other leads of this entire thing.

“What can’t be right?” Caitlin asked looking over at Anna.

“There's an anomaly in the core chamber.” Cisco said looking at his console. Anna pointed at the Engineer as if to say that he was right.

“The ring's structural integrity is holding. It's started a chain reaction.” Caitlin added going to her own console to read the alerts.

“The system is collapsing.” Dr. Wells stated, his tone turning urgent. “We need to shut it down.”

“We can't ramp down the accelerator from here.” Cisco said shaking his head. “We need to do it manually.”

“Go!” Dr. Wells snapped. Out of instinct both Cisco and Nicole turned and began hurrying towards the accelerator.

“I'll come with.” Ronnie said before Caitlin grabbed his arm.

“Ronnie, no.” She snapped.

“I'm the lead engineer. I know how to operate the shutdown valve.” Ronnie explained.

“It's not safe.” Caitlin barked, hoping he’d stay with her.

“Cait, I have to go. Okay, you stay here.” Ronnie pulled her into a tight embrace before kissing her deeply. He then turned to Anna and gave her the tightest brotherly hug he could manage.

“Keep her safe.” He whispered before turning and sprinting after the other two engineers.

“You come back to us.” Anna said having a moment of Deja’vu. Something about this felt just like the last time the Snow sisters last saw their father. She hoped that this was all just a silly feeling prompted by worry and panic. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” Ronnie said before pulling away and bolting after the others. Ronnie was only half a step behind Cisco and Nicole, and it didn’t take him long to out run them. As soon as he was in the control room, Ronnie was quick to open the door and start moving into the accelerator.

“We've only got a few minutes before this thing blows, and if I'm not back in time, you need to initiate lockdown.” He explained locking eyes with his fellow engineers.

“No way. I am not closing this door. I won't be able to open it again.” Cisco snapped shaking his head.

“Ronnie, no! You need to come back to Caitlin!” Nicole cried reaching forward to take his arm.

“Cisco, Nicole, if you don't seal off the blast, everyone in this building will die, including Caitlin.” Ronnie said stepping towards the door. “Okay, now promise me. Set your watch. Two minutes.”

“You're coming back.” Cisco said trying to hide the crack in his voice. He set his watch though before taking Nicole’s hand in a tight grasp.

“You better come back. You still owe us all your famous karaoke night.” Nicole said before watching Ronnie’s form disappear into the particle accelerator. She squeezed Cisco’s hand, hoping that he’d be back in a few seconds. Every second felt like a lifetime and when Cisco’s timer went off, Nicole felt her heart sink.

“No… No…” She muttered. Cisco bit back his hesitation and hit the manual lock for the doors, the weight in his heart all too apparent.

“Cisco…”

“We can’t risk the others. Besides… He knows what he’s doing.” Cisco said, through he didn’t quite believe his own words. Nicole felt tears burning in the corners of her eyes as she staggered back to brace herself against the wall. Unable to process what was going on, Nicole staggered out of the room, almost oblivious to Caitlin pushing past her towards the control room. Everything became a blur, noises, all of it until Cisco grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her daze.

“We gotta get back to the Cortex! Come on!” He said. He wasn’t taking no for an answer either as he took her hand and began running back to the Cortex. Nicole felt like she was on autopilot at that point. Once they were back at the Cortex, Cisco ran back to his console and began frantically typing.

“He’s rerouting the blast…” Nicole muttered once everything started coming back to her. She staggered over to her own desk, typing in a bunch of code to try and help increase the survival chances Ronnie had. Just as her fingers began dancing across the keys, an explosion shook the ground beneath the lab, causing Nicole to fall to the floor and hit her head on the desk to her right.

“Shit.” Anna was the first to respond to the blonde’s fall. She knelt down and grabbed each side of Nicole’s head to steady the woman’s neck. “Hey. Don’t move. Look at me.”

“Hng…” Nicole wasn’t completely unconscious, but even to the untrained eye she was severely concussed by the fall. Her neck was unbroken, there was a lovely knot on her head though, and a little blood from where the edge had connected.

“Dr. Thawne. Look at me.” Anna repeated before reaching for the bottom of her dress. She ripped a small chunk off, just enough really to wipe the cut to see how deep it was. “Just lie still. Can you do that for me?”

“Ron… Ronnie… Need to calibrate…” She muttered, mentally willing herself to get up though her limbs didn’t want to respond.

“You are doing jackshit.” Anna replied leaning over and pulling at Nicole’s eyelids. She covered one a couple of times to check the dilation response. Then repeated the process to the other side. “There are at least 300 other people in this building.”

“Miss Snow, make sure Dr. Thawne remains still.” Wells said tensing up. “It’s about to get rough in here…”

“Thank you Captain Obvious.” Anna said out of reaction rather than paying attention to what was going on. She crawled on all fours around and gently braced her knees on either side of the blonde’s head, just above the ears. Her hands braced the woman’s shoulders and she leaned over to protect Nicole’s head. “He’s going to be alright. He’s going to be alright. He... Ronnie has to be alright. He has to come back.”

“Dr. Wells. Dr. Wells, Ronnie did it.” Cisco said looking over at Wells. “He vented the system. S.T.A.R. Labs should hold.”

At that something dropped into Annaleigh’s stomach. It could have been relief, but she didn’t feel light enough for that. It could have been dread from the icy cold spreading along her spine. It could have been her heart, or at least the pieces of it due to the tone the Hispanic Engineer had. There was a brief moment of tension before an explosion rocked the lab. Static filled the air and the lab felt as if it were on an etch-a-sketch for a moment.

People were thrown about, computers sparked and fried. Dr. Wells was thrown into the wall at an alarming force. The air overflowed with static for what felt like an eternity before everything fell to an eerie quiet. The lights were flickering, wires dangled from damaged panels, and red alarm lights were going off everywhere.

“S-Sound off…” Wells called out trying to sit up with a groan of pain. “Who’s alive?”

“Dr. Wells? Anna?” Caitlin called out staggering into the Cortex looking beyond disheveled. “Anna… Please tell me you’re ok…”

“If I said I was unconscious would you believe me?” Anna asked picking herself up off Nicole. Unfortunately for the blonde the intensity of the explosion had caused Anna to all but smother the other woman in cleavage. “Dr. Thawne are you okay?”

“Ci… sco…” Nicole groaned and tried to sit up again, her body protesting every movement though. “What… What happened?”

“Easy.” Anna said helping Nicole back up right.

“Ow...” The young man groaned a bit looking around. Thankfully he’d only been thrown on his ass so not much was hurt save for his pride. At least that was until he looked at the screen of the computers. Most were frizting but there was one that flickered with images of blueprints. Blueprints and schematics o things that was, moments ago, existing that were now broken.

“Cait?” Anna looked over her shoulder, searching the shambles of people and paper for her sister. Cisco had come over by now taking Nicole into his arms for comfort and to support her. Nicole took a second to register that it was Cisco holding her before leaning into him and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Caitlin… Where’s Ronnie?” Wells asked, though he feared he already knew the answer. A tear stained face turned to meet his gaze, and nothing more had to be said. Without thinking, he went to stand and offer a hug only to find he couldn’t. He looked at his legs before trying to push up again. “What…”

“Dr. Wells?” Caitlin sniffled getting to her feet.

“I… I can’t feel my legs…” Wells said trying to push up a third time.

“A-Anna, help me.” Caitlin jogged over trying to see through her tears. Anna wasn’t far so she surged to her feet coming over to the pair.

“Stop. Stop. Don’t move.” Anna said crouching as best as she could in her dress. Her fist instinct was to make sure Harrison’s neck wasn’t broken. So long fingered hands came up her mind defaulting to her time spent in the hospitals when she was going through her residency.

“Ah!” Wells winced a bit as she prodded his neck, but it was more from the impact than anything. “I don’t think it’s the neck… I can feel my arms…”

“Good. Okay. This is going to be more awkward for me than you.” Anna said pushing her hair back as she shifted so she was kneeling over one of his legs. “I need to get under your shirt to check your spine.”

“Anna, you don’t think…” Caitlin muttered, unable to take a second blow like this in less than an hour. Especially to one of the few people she officially still had in her life.

“I’m about to find out.” Anna said taking a breath breath to steady her nerves. It was already a bad situation, but she hadn’t undressed a man in many years. Not wanting to waste too much time, Wells carefully reached down and pulled his shirt the rest of the way up and out of her way.

“Do what you have to do.” Anna shook her head and leaned in to the man, chilled hands caressing either side of his spine starting from the top.

“Just breathe Dr. Wells, it’ll all be okay.” Caitlin said trying to be as positive as she could.

“Sorry. Cold hands.” Anna said by way of apology. It was something that she always had. Though there was never any real reason for it. Though he tensed up, Wells made no noise once her hands made contact with the tender flesh.

“What’s the verdict?” Anna didn’t say anything though her eyes did widen a bit. She couldn’t believe how close he had been. Her eyes caught his from under her lashes before her head whipped to face her sister. The younger Snow shook her head gently, knowing that there was no way to lie about the fact.

“Oh no…” Caitlin tensed up, tears following those that had already fallen.

“It’s bad… Isn’t it?” Wells asked, his voice wavering a bit.

“I...” Anna pulled her hands back from Harrison. Almost as if she was afraid that she’d do more damage to his spine. “I’m... I can’t be one hundred percent certain, but I think... I think your spine is broken. We need to get you to the hospital.”

“Central City Police and EMTs are en route.” One of the uninjured lab hands called out before hurrying to find the first aid kits.

“Miss Snow… Dr. Snow…” Wells said pushing himself to sit against the wall as best he could. “You don’t have to be here for this…”

“Well, unfortunately for you, I can’t leave.” Anna said knowing this would bite her in the ass later. “Aside from my sister I am technically you new doctor. Someone see if there is a wheelchair of any kind.”

“There should be one in the storage closet. I’ll go check.” One of the other lab hands called out sprinting out of the cortex.

“When I said you had potential for S.T.A.R. Labs… This is not what I meant.” Wells managed a dry chuckle despite the severity of his world falling apart around him.

“I suppose that I’ll have to put in my letter of resignation to Q.C. in the morning.” Anna said reaching down to his wrist. She needed to know if the damage had any change on his internal systems at all.

“If needed, I shall speak to Queen myself.” Wells offered, allowing her to manipulate him as needed. Anna waved her free hand at him before she straightened back up to her feet. THis was going to be a long night. And they still had to find Ronnie.

“Let’s just focus on getting you to the hospital first…” Caitlin said, not wanting to admit what was already known by most everyone at that point.

“Nicole? Dulcita? Come on. Easy now.” Cisco said gently turning her head to look at the cut.

“Cisco… I… I just hit my head…” Nicole muttered, leaning forward a little to give him a better look. She knew telling him to stop would be about as useful as putting a fire out with napalm. “It… It shouldn’t be too bad…”

The welt itself wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but upon closer investigation, the cut itself was about an inch or an inch and a half long, and perhaps a bit deeper than a scratch.

“You probably have a concussion.” Cisco said moving so he could help her back to her feet. The Alarms had been turned off but the lighting had indicated that it was time to evacuate the building. “Alright we got to get out of here.”

“What… What about Ronnie?” Nicole asked, holding onto Cisco as she found her feet. “Cisco… We… We have to go back for him…”

“We can’t. The explosion closed the level off to us. We have to get out so the police and the firefighters can get him.” Cisco shook his head hooking his arm around Nicole’s waist. He was going to get her out of harm’s way first then figure out what to do. Nicole just nodded, hurrying out of the building with Cisco.

“I’ve got the chair!” The lab hand spun around the corner with a rather simple, but functional wheelchair in hand.

“Great. Now get everyone else out of here.” Wells ordered. He didn’t care about his own state at that point, all that mattered was getting his people to safety.

“Starting with you.” Anna as she took one side of Harrison and Caitlin the other. Together the sisters heaved the man into the chair before Anna pushed her sister and her sister’s boss towards the exit.

“Anna!” Caitlin held the chair and looked over her shoulder. “You’re coming too!”

“I’ll be right behind you. Now go. If I lose you I’ll meet you at the hospital.” Anna said before she turned and started making her way deeper into the lab to start helping other people. This wasn’t much different that the rotation that she spent in an E.R. graveyard shift.

“Trust your sister, Dr. Snow.” Wells said as Caitlin started pushing the chair frantically towards the exit. Caitlin said nothing, already an emotional time bomb waiting to explode at this point. Outside, CCPD as well as every first responder was present. Sirens were going off, fire trucks were trying to contain the fires, and EMTs were grabbing survivors left and right.

“Oh god… Nicky!” Nicole turned her foggy gaze to the source of the voice, and a light sigh of relief escaped her lips.

“Eddie… God I never thought I’d be so happy to see you…” She muttered.

“What happened? Nevermind. I’m glad you’re alright.” Eddie said pulling his sister into a hug. “Come on. Let’s get you to the EMT’s.”

“Owowow… Gentle…” Nicole hissed before returning the hug. “Thank Cisco… Without him I wouldn’t be here…”

“All those with minor injuries move to the side! Those that are life threatening to the front now!” One of the cops called out, moving a couple of scientists with some bruises and scrapes out of the way.

“Here. We need help. Head trauma.” Eddie shouted above the chaos. He was not afraid of pushing others aside and all but bulldozed his way to the EMTs. Nicole winced, instinctively reaching out for Cisco as Eddie moved her towards one of the ambulances.

“We have a spinal injury! He needs to be taken to a hospital immediately!” Caitlin called out as she wheeled Wells through the chaos.

“Give him here!” One of the Paramedics shouted racing over and cutting in front of the Thawnes. “Get the Bus ready!”

“Detective. I’ll take her. You got a job to do.” Another Medic called out rushing up to the Thawnes and holding his hands out for Nicole. “Come with me. I’ll get you to the hospital.”

“Go, Eddie… I’ll be alright.” Nicole said taking the EMT’s arm and nodding to her brother.

“Are you sure? I can ride with you.” Eddie said not wanting to let her out of his sight.

“One of our friends… His name is Ronnie… Please… You have to find him Eddie.” Nicole pleaded.

“Okay. Okay.” Eddie nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll find him. I promise.”

“Ma’am we have to go.”

“Thank you Eddie. Thank you.” Nicole said squeezing his hand back before letting the medic move her into the ambulance. She knew there was minimal chance that he survived, but he’d saved everyone and she had to believe he made it for Caitlin’s sake.

“He’s going to find him Nic.” Cisco said crawling into the ambulance with her and the Paramedics. “We’ll meet the others after we get you checked out okay?”

“Yeah… Thank you, Cisco…” Nicole took his hand while the medic began hooking her up to the portable monitors. “My very own short Stormtrooper.” 


	3. Chapter 3

~~*~~*~~*~~ Nine Months Later ~~*~~*~~*~~

“Anna, you left your coffee mug on my tablet again.” Caitlin called out, holding up a steel coffee mug after entering the cortex. “You realize we have coasters, right?” 

“Hmm? Oh.. Sorry Cait.” Anna said after being jarred from her momentary nap. A groan left her as she reached up to rub the sleep from her eyes. It had been a week since she quit her job in Starling City. At a fortunate time too as some jerk in a green hood started going on a murder spree. “I’ll get it.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Caitlin said before placing the coffee in front of her sister. “This is just proof you need actual sleep at some point. Did Q.C. run you into the ground or something?” 

“No. It’s... Oliver’s changed since he came back. And between moving here and talking to Felicity and looking for another job. I just... I haven’t been resting well.” Anna said though she felt even worse the more sleep went away from her. She knew that Caitlin had suffered worse than she had all that time ago. 

“I heard Oliver was on a deserted island for a while. Nobody stays the same after something like that.” Caitlin said with a sigh. “And you know Dr. Wells would be willing to pay you for your time.” 

“What does he need a Molecular Biologist for when he has you?” Anna asked leaning back from the kitchen table. She ran her hands through her hair to push the errant strands back. Sure she had come up from Starling City to check on her impromptu patient. But Wells seemed to be getting on just fine on his own. 

“Well… It’s just me, Cisco, Nicole, Dr. Wells and now our patient in the coma.” Caitlin explained. “Four people is not enough to bring S.T.A.R. Labs back to its former glory. I mean, the choice is up to you but I’m sure Dr. Wells would be glad to have you on the team.” 

“Ehh. I don’t know.” Anna gave a sigh as she stood up from the table. She walked over and pulled Caitlin into a hug. She pressed her cheek to Caitlin’s shoulder and let her eyes well with tears that she still never let go, even after the funeral. “I miss him Cait-Cat.”

Caitlin stood there in silence, her arms pulling her sister as close as was possible. She knew what Anna meant and there wasn’t a day that went by that Caitlin didn’t think about Ronnie. After a moment, she let out a trembling breath. 

“I know Annabell. I miss him too.” She sniffled, running her fingers through Anna’s hair. “I miss him too.” 

~~*~~*~~*~~

“Cisco, mind handing me a pair of wire strippers?” Nicole was under the main console of the cortex, working on a few repairs that needed to be done. Ever since she’d been cleared for work again, she’d been going almost non-stop trying to help get the Lab back to running as best they could. Especially after Eddie had tried for the umpteenth time to talk her into quitting her job there. 

“Are you going to be under that thing all day? Do I have to be jealous?” Cisco asked squatting down next to Nicole’s legs and holding out the asked for tool. In the background Lady Gaga was playing quietly from another room. 

“I don’t know, babe.” Nicole chuckled scooting out from under the console long enough to smile at him and hand him back the screwdriver she’d been using. “Do you have a quantum core processor that needs… Fine tuning?” 

“Well. Maybe. But you never asked.” Cisco said leaning over to kiss Nicole before he stood up. 

“Maybe I’ll just take the Cortex core to the comic shop then.” She teased after returning the kiss. Before he could protest, she moved back under the computers and began working diligently as she had been. 

“Though I understand absence makes the heart grows fonder…” Wells commented, rolling into the room in his rather high tech wheelchair. “Might I ask you keep the flirting in the workplace to a minimum?” 

“Ow!” Nicole instinctively went to sit up only to smack her head on the underside of the desk. “Sorry, Dr. Wells…”

“She started it.” Cisco said not the least bit ashamed. He stepped back, putting the screwdriver away before he sat at one of the side computers to start working again. 

“I don’t care who started it. I’d rather you focus on work while on the clock.” Wells added with a cocked brow. “Any movement from Mr. Allen yet?” 

“Still sleeping.” Cisco said leaning back so he could look through the window to the medical room. Nine months and the young man still hadn’t woken up. Cisco was starting to wonder if he ever would return to the land of the living.

“Caitlin mention his heart rate sped up again last night…” Nicole said stripping the last wire and coming out from under the computer again. “Are we sure he’s even going to wake up? He was struck with lightning from the accelerator. It’s a double whammy.” 

“He’ll wake up. Trust me.” Wells said looking at the man with a nod. “He’ll wake up…”

“Morning guys, Dr. Wells.” Anna said walking in after her sister. She had two travel cups from Jitters in hand. One for herself, which was nothing but espressos, and one for the wheelchair bound scientist. She stopped by the dark haired man with the bright eyes and held the cup she had gotten for him out. She had learned over her frequent trips to Central City his coffee order.

“Dr. Snow, Dr. Snow. Good morning to you two as well.” Wells said with a tired smile as he turned the chair to face the two entering the lab. 

“You can call me Anna. Since Annaleigh seems a bit hard for you.” The younger redhead chuckled. 

“Formalities have always been as natural to me as breathing. I will do my best make note in the future.” He said with a laugh. 

“Any changes to Barry?” Caitlin asked dropping her bag at her station and moving to stand next to their comatose patient. 

“None as of yet.” Wells said with a sigh. “So Dr. Sn… Ana. Have you considered my offer of employment?” 

“Still thinking. Same as last time. Now come on, speaking of changes it is time for your check up since you conveniently forgot that you had one at the hospital.” Anna said slightly waving the coffee at the chaired scientist and walking backwards. “I’d rather not fight your chair this time. Still have the bruises.” 

“I am a scientist, Anna. Not a dog.” Wells muttered, though he was slightly amused at her tactics at getting him to cooperate this time. 

“Ah, but he can be taught.” Anna said turning and walking down the hall to one of the abandoned medical labs that had been set up for the Accelerator’s success.

“Dr. Snow, remind me to inform your sister of the word please in the future.” Wells sighed before following. It wasn’t out of anything other than a need to see to his well being. Or, rather, that’s what he told himself. 

“She knows it. She also knows it doesn’t work on you.” Caitlin said walking over to join Cisco around Barry. 

“Wonderful…” He grumbled under his breath before disappearing down the hall. 

“On the upside… Fixed the last short on the computer.” Nicole called out after a few minutes more of work. She slid out from under the core and stood up, stretching her arms over her head. “Which means the next playlist you play, Cisco, won’t be stuck on repeat this time.” 

“What are you doing?” Caitlin asked as Poker Face began playing a little louder. 

“He likes this song.” Cisco said pulling the Twizzler from his mouth. 

“How could you possibly know that?” Caitlin asked with a scoff. 

“I checked his Facebook page. I mean he can hear everything, right?”

“You know, in some cases, that’s considered stalking.” Nicole teased from where she was putting Cisco’s toolkit back. Or rather, putting it in the order it was meant to be in. 

“Auditory functions are the last sensory faculties to degenerate.”

“Can’t read my, no he can’t read my Poker-” Cisco was singing along as he strode over to the computer when a sudden gasp and shriek from Caitlin startled him out of whatever he’d been doing. 

“OH MY GOD!” 

“Holy sweet mother of Vader!” Nicole dropped the toolkit and clutched a hand over her chest as the man they all assumed wouldn’t wake up suddenly sprang to life. 

“Where am I?” Barry snapped, looking around in a panic. 

“He’s up.” Caitlin said grabbing a pen light. 

“Dr. Wells, get to the Cortex, like, right now.” Cisco called out over the coms. 

“How…” Nicole couldn’t string words together in that moment, especially since Caitlin had estimated another month before he showed any signs of true recovery. 

“BP 180 over 110. Pulse 120.” Caitlin said trying to check his pupil response despite the fact that he was squirming. “Pupils equally reactive to light… Look at me. Look at me.” 

“Ugh…” Barry began pulling at the cords and everything while Caitlin and Cisco rushed to keep him from hurting himself. Nicole hurried over and caught the IV stand he almost knocked over, not wanting things to be anymore chaotic than they already were. 

“Hey. hey. Whoa, whoa. Relax! Everything’s ok!” Cisco said bracing Barry’s shoulder as he finally stood up. “You’re at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

“S.T.A.R. Labs?” Barry asked looking confused. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Cisco Ramon. This is Caitlin… Dr. Snow.” Cisco said with a smile. “And this is the best engineer ever, next to me of course, Nicole Thawne.” 

“Not the time babe.” Nicole said with a nervous chuckle.

“I need you to urinate in this.” Caitlin said holding up a specimen jar. 

“Not this second.” Cisco said taking the sterile cup from Caitlin.

“Where… Why… What is happening!? What is going on!” Barry demanded pushing past the trio. 

“You were struck by lightning, dude.”

“What?” Barry asked and turned around in time to see a reflection of sorts. “Lightning gave me abs?”

“I mean… It’s not the worst thing you could’ve gotten out of a lightning strike.” Nicole said, her expression reading that it wasn’t that bad. Her gaze may have lingered a few seconds longer than she’d intended. 

“Your muscles should be atrophied, but instead they are in a chronic and unexplained state of cellular regeneration.” Caitlin explained looking over his physical form. 

“Come here. Have a seat.” Cisco said gently guiding the young man backwards to a stool and set him down. “You were in a coma.”

“For how long?” Barry asked. 

“9 months.” Dr. Wells said rolling into the cortex, followed by Anna. “Welcome back, Mr. Allen. We have a lot to discuss.” 

“Welcome to the land of the living.” Anna said walking over and holding out a sweatshirt for the newly risen. “It gets a little chilly in here so take this.” 

“Thanks… Um…” Barry hesitated a moment before throwing the shirt on. 

“It’s best if we talk where it’s a little quieter. I’m sure the others would rather get back to their work.” Wells said making a noted glance at Caitlin, Cisco, and Nicole. 

“Don’t think we’re done with your check up Dr. Wells.” Anna said moving over to start disabling the lab equipment so it could be stored once again. 

“Thank you Dr. Snow. I believe this takes precedence at the moment.” Wells said with a patient smile. “After this, you’re welcome to continue your exam.” 

“Oh I’m welcome to. Well thank you so much for your generosity.” Anna said with a soft chuckle to herself. 

“You’re also welcome to come with us to talk if you want.” He called over his shoulder as he lead Barry out of the Cortex. 

“No thank you. Someone has to clean this mess up.” Anna said with a wave over her shoulder at the departing duo. She would have loved to, but something told her that continuing Harrison’s exam while he was trying to explain whatever the pair was going to be talking about wasn’t a good idea. So she opted to wait with the others.

“Did lightning seriously give him abs?” Nicole muttered, suddenly wondering just how it was possible. 

“Looks like it.” Cisco said with a wide grin. Caitlin just shook her head and went to start updating Barry’s chart. 

“Um… Oh, Cisco. I was going to see if you wanted to come to dinner tonight. Eddie wanted to invite you over to, as he put it, talk it out like men.” Nicole said snapping herself out of her theoretical daze. “I told him it was up in the air.” 

“Oooh... Yeah about that. I don’t feel so good.” Cisco said turning on his heel to face Nicole. 

“Oh thank Einstein.” Nicole said before pausing. “Wait, am I supposed to feel bad about cancelling dinner with him?” 

“I mean I know I have to face him at some point. But I think he blames me for the fact that you still work... here.” Cisco said finishing off his Twizzler. 

“You’re not the one that has to face him, babe.” Nicole said throwing away the empty candy wrapper that was left on the desk. “He’ll just have to come to terms with the fact that I enjoy working here, and I’m not leaving anytime soon. Eddie worries too much. Plus, you’re the first boyfriend I’ve had he hasn’t chased way.” 

“Does that make me automatically cooler than your other boyfriends. Because I deserves something from that. Your brother is a bit... intense.” 

“Babe.” Nicole walked over and hugged Cisco from behind, resting her chin on his right shoulder. “You are the coolest boyfriend I’ve ever had for more than just that. You can keep up with my scientific ramblings, you don’t get annoyed when I spend forever at the comic shop.” 

She smiled and kissed his cheek before running her fingers through his hair. 

“And you’re the only man I’ve ever dated who actually cares about the way his hair looks without being a stupid jock.” 

“Hey my hair is a lot of work. But I’m glad you like it. Cause I don’t look great with the shorter hairstyles.” Cisco said more joking but the tension did ease from his shoulders. 

“Don’t you two have work that needs to be done?” Caitlin asked looking over from her clipboard. “This is nauseating, just a bit.” 

“But familiar.” Anna muttered to herself as she logged the half of Harrison’s check up into the Lab’s system. It still was strange that they just gave over what remained of the medical logs, data, servers, and equipment to her along with passcodes and everything else. 

“Now, I’m not the most popular person these days, but Detective West and his daughter gave me permission to bring you here, where we were able to stabilize you.” Wells explained as he and Barry made their way back to the Cortex. 

“Iris?” Barry asked looking confused. 

“Iris, yes. She came to see you quite often.” Harrison said looking up at Barry. 

“She talks a lot.” Caitlin spoke rounding the two to hand the thermos to Harrison

“Also, she’s hot.” Cisco said over Barry’s shoulder. Only to feel immediate jealousy and that he was in deep shit. The Hispanic Engineer turned and grinned at his girlfriend. “I mean in a general way.” 

“Nice save.” Nicole chuckled patting his cheek before grabbing the tool kit off Cisco’s desk. “I’m gonna go check on the wiring downstairs. Let me know if you guys need anything.” 

“At least they’re not fighting.” Caitlin sighed making a few final notes before closing the folder in her hand. 

“That is a blessing I suppose.” Anna shrugged, mostly desensitized to the Engineers at this point. 

“Yes. Either he’s stopped worrying about her rearranging his desk, or Cisco hasn’t noticed that Nicole reorganized his things again.” Caitlin explained with a light chuckle. 

“I need to go.” Barry said looking around frantically.

“No, you can’t.” Caitlin said moving to stop Barry from leaving. 

“No, no, no Caitlin’s right.” Dr. Wells said turning his chair to follow Barry’s movements. “No, now that you are awake, we need to do more tests. You’re still going through changes. There’s so much that we don’t know.” 

“I’m fine. Really, I feel normal.” Barry said holding out his hand before he started backing up towards the exit. “Thank you for saving my life.”

And with that the young man disappeared around the corner. Anna hung her head knowing that Caitlin was beyond annoyed. But there was really nothing that they could have done that wouldn’t have been reported as kidnapping. 

“Really?” Caitlin snapped in frustration. 

“Easy Cait. He just woke up from a nine month nap in his mind.” Anna said trying to be the voice of reason. 

“Can I keep the sweatshirt?” Barry asked popping around the corner once more. 

“Yeah, keep the sweatshirt.” Dr. Wells groaned, ready to be done with the day at this point. 

“Okay.” And with that Barry was gone again. 

“Well, that was fun.” Caitlin muttered before smiling at her sister. “You want some coffee?” 

“Sure. Just leave it where I can grab it.” Anna nodded and got up from her small little side desk. Turning she faced Harrison. “Ready to finish your exam?” 

“Ah, I suppose I did assure you we’d get to that.” Wells said, making no hint to show he wasn’t disappointed that she hadn’t forgotten. “Lead the way, Dr. Sno… Anna.” 

Anna snerked a bit turning to head back where she felt most comfortable in the Labs. It was progress on Harrison’s part and she would give him credit for that. It only took her three months to get him to start calling her Anna, after gentle correction in the mornings. Though there was a certain ring to the name when he spoke it unlike the others. And that ring only started a few weeks ago. Still puzzled by that she shook it off with a mental shake and lead the way. Dr. Wells smirked at her reaction, but hid it by turning and heading back to one of the more secluded rooms once more. He was glad Anna was making her own place at S.T.A.R. Labs, even if it wasn’t the most ideal way to handle things. 

“I do appreciate that you’ve been so attentive to my health, Anna.” He said once they reached the room. Out of habit, he pushed his upper body from the chair before carefully shifting over to the exam table. 

“Of course. You’ve done so much for my sister this is the least I can do to try and repay that.” Anna said turning her back to Harrison for a moment. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun with the help of a hair tie and a pen. Next were the gloves that at this point in her life she viewed as a second skin with how often she was pulling them on. 

“I sometimes worry that I am just holding them back.” He muttered removing his shirt so she could access his spine better. 

“That is the farthest from the truth.” Anna said rounding the table so she stood behind him. Even on the exam table he still somehow towered over her and she felt an acute moment of jealousy. That faded when she focused on the task rather than the difference in height. Her hands followed the path of his spine, gently digging her fingers in to try and get a correct evaluation of the muscular structure around where the injury was. “They stayed because they believe in you. They know you were only trying to make the world a better place.” 

“I hope you’re right, Anna. They’ve all suffered since the explosion, since everything went wrong.” Wells muttered, trying not to flinch when she touched his back. “Oliver Queen sent me an email recently. He wanted to see how you were adjusting.” 

“It was probably Felicity. She’s always hacking into his email to check on me.” Anna said rounding the table again to take a seat on the rolling stool so she could check the level of atrophy in his legs. She kept her hands below mid-thigh as she wasn’t willing to cross any professional lines, though she had every right to do so. “I’m surprised that your muscles are adapting to your state. By now you should have loss at least 30% of your mass. But you haven’t. There may be hope that this is not permanent.” 

“Or perhaps I’m just staying active enough to prevent rapid decay.” Wells replied with a chuckle. “Despite my condition, I do workout a bit at home.”

“If I had a favorite patient, it would be you.” Anna said with a soft laugh. She turned and rolled to get a needle to get a blood sample that she still hadn’t managed to do over the last nine months. 

“Do I have to be jealous of my doctor?” He teased with what might have been a flirtatious grin. 

“Luckily no. Because I am not actually your doctor.” Anna said rolling back to his side and setting up the necessary line up. “Hold your arm out.” 

Almost as if on cue, the alert on his computer set off an alarm on his chair’s tablet and Wells looked over. 

“I do apologize doctor, but this appears to be urgent.” He said leaning over and grabbing the tablet. “Blood samples will have to wait, this needs my immediate attention.” 

Without waiting for dismissal, Wells shifted himself back into the chair before throwing his shirt back on, something that had become routine over the past few weeks. As soon as he was seated, he put the tablet back on it’s mount and started heading for the hallway. 

“I... Okay, go.” Anna said a bit disheartened that once again she was foiled in her task. But she understood as she had been, at least mostly, in his place back in Starling City. “I’ve poked and prodded you enough for the day.” 

“I’ll have a blood sample by the end of the day for you. Promise.” Wells said with an apologetic nod. Anna waited until he was gone before letting out a long soft sigh. There was still so much she didn’t know about how this happened every time. And it always came with that promise. Shaking her head she began her clean up and returned to the cortex. 

~~*~~*~~*~~

“Cait, I’m going to head home and start dinner.” Anna said feeling a bit useless at the Labs. With both Snows strengths being in the more or less same field she didn’t know what she could really offer them. That and she had to break the news to Caitlin that she was thinking about heading back to Starling City. It was then that Barry Allen skidded into the wall. Before Caitlin had a chance to respond to her sister, she heard the thud and spun around to see what had happened. 

“Oh god! Are you okay!?” Caitlin ran over, grabbing a first aid kit as she went into emergency mode. “Barry, what’s wrong?” 

“I don’t know. I started like... vibrating at the precinct.” Barry said pushing himself off the wall. “I’m fine I just can’t seem to keep in place. And earlier when I went to see Iris everything slowed down like in the movies.”

“Maybe you should switch to decaf.” Nicole suggested having come in as he was explaining. “I mean, I’ve read some news articles about caffeine overdoses causing very similar symptoms. Just saying.” 

“I doubt Mr. Allen’s problem is with his caffeine intake.” Dr. Wells commented with an intrigued look on his face. “Anything else seem out of the ordinary for you?” 

“Well I did run into a dumpster and a police cruiser. I didn’t mean to I just looked and the next thing I knew I ran into them.” Barry said with a shrug. “And then I took off and I was running so fast that I crashed into a big van full of laundry. That was the only thing that seemed to stop me.” 

“Did you notice anything else? Even the smallest clue could help.” Dr. Wells said rubbing his jaw a moment. 

“No. Just that I was running so fast I crossed half the city in like five seconds.” Barry said not really understanding the underlying tone Harrison had. He didn’t even resist when Caitlin started manhandling him again. 

“Five seconds?” Dr. Wells echoed before pausing again. 

“That’s a physical impossibility.” Nicole said shaking her head. “That would mean you were going over… 2-300 miles an hour…” 

“No human body is capable of that.” Caitlin stated. “I’m sure there’s a medical explanation here.” 

“Before you all jump to conclusions, perhaps you should start those tests you were wanting to do?” Anna said stepping back in case Barry vibrated his way into eternity again. 

“That sounds like a wonderful idea Dr. Snow.” Wells said looking over his shoulder. “Dr. Thawne, could you find Cisco and have him grab the equipment we were prepping?” 

“I’ll get the monitors.” Caitlin said turning on her heel and walking out of the cortex altogether. The mobile Lab was in the garage half prepped anyway so it wouldn’t be that hard to do.

“I’ll see you...” Anna started as her sister left but trailed off knowing better than to try and follow Caitlin. She heaved a small sigh, shoulders dropping a bit as she looked down at her feet. “... at home.”

“Anna, if you like, you can come along. Surely you must be the slightest bit curious about all this.” Dr. Wells offered with a kind smile. 

“I think it is better if I just go home. Besides Cait is more than likely capable of handling Mr. Allen.” Anna said having a whirl of conflicting emotions cloud her mind and chest. She grabbed her coat from the chair she’d been sitting at before returning the smile. “If you need anything just call. I have to pa... start dinner.” 

The redhead turned and walked around the opposite side of the console to prevent either man from letting her leave. She had almost spilled the beans to them about her leaving. Something that would have prompted an immediate conflict with Caitlin. Barry watched her go, feeling guilty that she seemed to share his feelings back when he was acting as the Forensic Analyst for CCPD.

“Should you need anything, let us know.” Wells called out, unsure if she’d heard him or not. He had a feeling that something was wrong, but he knew better than to push it in the moment. “Now then, Mr. Allen. Did you ever do track?” 

~~*~~*~~*~~

It took all of twenty minutes to get the large truck load with all the equipment. And another fifteen to get them to the Farris Air training strip that was largely abandoned. Which made this the perfect test site for the intrepid band of scientists. There was a pavilion setup to keep the drizzle from damaging the monitors. Everyone save Barry had piled out of the vehicle so that the young man could change. 

“Dr. Wells, you don’t really believe he can run that fast, do you?” Caitlin asked. It had honestly felt as if she were the only skeptic at the moment. 

“I believe anything is possible, and in a few minutes, maybe you will too.” Dr. Wells commented looking around at the air strip they were utilizing. 

“How does it fit?” Cisco asked as the door to the mobile lab swung open and their test subject came out in a red spandex outfit, safety glasses, a helmet and covered in sensors. 

“It’s a little snug.” Barry muttered adjusting it in a couple uncomfortable places. 

“At least you’ll be moving so fast no one’ll see ya.” Cisco clapped a hand on his shoulder before he began checking the calibration on the sensors. 

“Not many can pull off red.” Nicole piped up with a chuckle as she tightened a couple of the fasteners. “Besides, it’s all for science. Are the sensors on his helmet picking up, Cisco?” 

“Yup, they are good to go.” Cisco said before motioning for Barry to follow him. “See you thought the world was slowing down. It wasn’t. You were moving so fast it only looked like everyone else was standing still. Dr. Wells will be monitoring your energy output, and Caitlin your vitals.” 

“What do you do?” Barry asked with a chuckle. 

“Nicole and I make the toys man. Check it. This is a two-way with a camera I modified. Typically designed to combat battlefield impulse noise, or in your case, potential sonic booms, which would be awesome.” Cisco said with the smile of a kid at Christmas. 

“And this…” Nicole pointed to a small sensor that looked far different from the others. “Is a pressure sensor. The others monitor your energy outputs and such, but this is a modified blast disk. Size of my thumb, but the moment you hit a sonic boom it’ll read if the pressure you give off is the same as an actual sonic boom. Meaning will it act like a bomb shock wave or not. Pretty neat, huh?” 

“What?” Caitlin asked, hiding the hint of a smile that tried to show on her lips as soon as Barry saw. 

“Nothing. I just noticed that you don’t smile too much.” Barry commented. 

“My once promising career in Bio-engineering is over, my boss is in a wheelchair for life, the explosion that put you in a coma also killed my fiance who also happened to be my younger sister’s best friend.” Caitlin explained with all the bitterness she’d been hiding. “So this blank expression kind of feels like the way to go.” 

“Mr. Allen, while I am extremely eager to determine your full range of abilities, I do caution restraint.” Dr. Wells commented to break the tension a bit as Caitlin walked away from Barry. 

“Yeah.” Barry nodded. He braced himself on the runner chocks, taking a deep breath as Cisco stood behind him with a radar gun and Nicole had a stopwatch at the ready. Barry glanced back at Dr. Wells with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. When his role model simply put on a pair of sunglasses though, he knew it was now or never. With a deep breath, Barry charged forward, the back draft coming off of him threw Cisco and Nicole to the ground, sent all their papers flying and threatened to push Wells’ wheelchair across the ground.

“No way…” Nicole scrambled to her feet, having started the stopwatch just before everyone got thrown back. 

“He just passed 200 miles per hour.” Cisco said with all the enthusiasm he could muster.

“It’s not possible.” Caitlin stared with wide eyes and a slack jaw. 

“We haven’t even hit 15 seconds yet…” Nicole said staring at the watch. Almost as soon as she said it though, there was a loud crash followed by water and broken plastic flying into the air. 

“Um…” She muttered. 

“We should…” Cisco stared for a moment before sprinting towards the crash. 

"Yeah. Like now?" Nicole grabbed the first aid kit from the table and hurried after him, though what they could do for Barry was beyond her.


End file.
